Personally, I think it would be safe if you are safe yourself and go slow. It takes a shock to set off a primer. I think you would just crush the priming pellet and the primer will pop out like a used one.

Very important: by being "safe yourself", I mean wearing safety glasses (you always do anyway, right?), and perhaps a face shield and leather gloves. You never know what might happen. Also I would crank the depriming pin down as far as possible and still have it centered. That will assure you of having some air space in the die.

All that being said the safest way to solve your problem is to fire the primer in your gun and then deprime normally. I wouldn't try to make the primer inactive by pouring something on it like WD-40 or oil, etc. That would leave a residue in your cases that would be hard to remove and might affect any new primers.

I agree with Mal in that you'll be safe, but wear eye protection just in case. I've deprimed live primers on my Dillon 550 without setting them off I don't think doing it on a single stage would be any more likely to do it.

If you do it on a progressive make sure there is no powder in the hopper or primers in the primer tube (or whatever your particular brand uses) just in case one does get set off.

I've done a few and never had one blow, but perhaps I was lucky. I used a universal decapping die, since there's lots of clearance around the case and won't confine the explosion like a sizer will. The primer will exit the press at high velocity, so figure out where it will go and don't stand there. IIRC, Jim Bullock noted in Precision Shooting Magazine that he chronoed primers at 700 fps. He heated primed cases with a torch until they blew. As Mal said, wear face & body protection.

There is certtainly a possibility that depriming would set off the primer. However, I have deprimed live primers on various occassions and have never had one go off.

I always go very slow when I do it. Wear safety lenses/glasses when you do it to be safe.

Jerry

__________________
Ecclesiastes 12:13 ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

For the price of a primer just pull the bullet and dump the powder and fire the darn thing. They are kinda loud so stick the end of the barrel in a hole in a cardboard box 2 feet square or so. That will keep the wife and the neighbors off your case.

I just don't think that a primer is worth the risk of trying to get it out, and if I did get it out there is no way I would use it again for a new load, so what is the point?

2. There is a theoretical, even remote, chance of detonation
if you deprime a live primer.

With that caveat, let me state that I have deprimed many live cases and NEVER had one go off. Then again, I don't slam the lever down and ram the decapping pin into the primer. I may be cheap, but I'm not [that] stupid!

Also, my presses will simply aim the primer down into a collection cup should it actually detonate. Lots of open space away from any powder for the flash, too.

Heck, I've reloaded the primer with no ill effect. The reason for the deprime was the occasional crunched case when it got caught by the edge of the bell-mouthing die.

Why bother? If the case is still good, re-use it with the primer. if the case is bad, soak it in oil or fire the primer (only) and toss it in the recycling barrel.

NQS

__________________
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was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but
they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. -- Daniel Webster

I've "punched out" a thousand live primers & always in a singled-staged press - although I can't imagine it would make any difference re a progressive - you are doing a "single-stage" operation after all .....

I've done a lot of these and can recall only one going off, in a military crimped primer. Surprising when it happens. Go slow and wrap something around where the primer will come out to catch it if it does.

I'm thinking of buying a case of '70's production Korean corrosive primed 30.06 from Aim just to get the clips and bandoliers. The cost is about what people locally are getting for clips alone, if one doesn't factor in the (not inconsiderable) freight from Aim.

There's something about just throwing out ammo that isn't, well, right so I got to wondering if I could salvage the brass (assume I lack the heuvos to put corrosive through my "new" Garand - even primer only).

This thread has me thinking it's doable, questions remaining are:

Anything about the '70's Korean that would make the brass not worth keeping for reloading? (It is boxer).

Anything specific about this stuff that would complicate the issue? Bullets more difficult to pull / primers lacquered in addition to crimped?

I'm guessing all I'd need in addition to my (not yet unpacked) RCBS starter kit for 30.06 would be a "bullet puller"?

I bought some of that Korean ammo a few months ago and I was very dissapointed. While the 60 garand clips were nice, I don't even have a garand. I thought they were 1903 clips. (good excuse to get one sooner though). There were about 80-90 cartridges that were so badly damaged that I could never use them. Of the remaining brass (I pulled the bullets) I had another 80 or so questionable cartidges with dings and mild dents. Almost all of the rest of the brass had some wear. I got it on sale for around $60 for 480 rounds and the .50 cal ammo box. I barely got what I paid for.

Whatever you do DON'T use the old powder (advice I took from others on TFL). It wasn't even the same type of powder from one cartridge to the next even in the same clip. The bullets were fine though and they were not too hard to pull.

I bought some of that Korean ammo a few months ago and I was very dissapointed. While the 60 garand clips were nice, I don't even have a garand. I thought they were 1903 clips. (good excuse to get one sooner though). There were about 80-90 cartridges that were so badly damaged that I could never use them. Of the remaining brass (I pulled the bullets) I had another 80 or so questionable cartidges with dings and mild dents. Almost all of the rest of the brass had some wear. I got it on sale for around $60 for 480 rounds and the .50 cal ammo box. I barely got what I paid for.

Sorry, I misspoke. I pulled the bullets on just the 80 or so rounds and not on the rest. Also, I thought they were 1903 stripper clips when I ordered them and not after I tried to make the enblocs fit in my 03 springfield like my post suggests.

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